Arbitrary Lines

Excellent new book. --Matt Yglesias Slow Boring A welcome manifesto for rethought urban spaces and their outliers, bringing social justice into the discussion. -- Kirkus Reviews In Arbitrary Lines, Gray provides a compelling case against the parochial zoning rules that have shaped Americans' lives, from our homes to our budgets to the work opportunities available to us. While the costs of zoning become clearer each year, few have questioned the paradigm of local policymakers determining the quantity and type of building that will be permitted on the private land in their jurisdictions. Gray steps in with a new way of thinking about urban land use and a road map for a future unconstrained by zoning. --Emily Hamilton, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University In Arbitrary Lines, Nolan Gray wrote a compelling argument for urgently reforming the 'stodgy rulebook' that distorts the shape and decreases the welfare of American cities. In addition to his devastating critique of the status quo, Nolan suggests a practical path that would allow urban communities to get out of their current zoning straightjacket. This book is a must-read for all of us who are interested in more innovative and affordable cities. --Alain Bertaud, senior fellow at the Marron Institute of Urban Management and former principal urban planner at the World Bank Nolan Gray has the insights of Jane Jacobs and the prose style of Mark Twain. In his aptly-titled new book, Arbitrary Lines, Gray argues that zoning in America is a disease masquerading as a cure. He also proposes a post-zoning style of planning for fair, sustainable, and livable cities. --Donald Shoup, Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles; author of The High Cost of Free Parking